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This invention relates to equipment for supporting and handling articles, particularly meat products, in manufacturing and processing operations and is more particularly concerned with improvements in bacon hangers or combs for supporting pork bellies during processing to form slabs of bacon.
In the slaughtering or butchering of hogs the various portions or cuts into which the animal carcass is divided are prepared for marketing by meat packers and processors according to the type of cut and the form in which it is desired to present it to the consumer. Generally, cuts known as pork bellies are processed by suspending them for a predetermined time in a processing area, such as a smoke house, or similar curing area, where they are converted into slabs of bacon which may be supplied to the consumer in a solid piece or cut into slices after sizing and packaged to provide the familiar sliced bacon package.
In the conventional butchering and processing operation, pork bellies are transported from the butchering or cutting area to an area where they are located on bacon hangers which serve to support the bellies on a tree or rack while they are being processed. When the processing or curing is completed, the bacon slabs are removed from the hangers enabling reuse of the latter.
The bacon hangers which have been provided heretofore have been formed with pointed prongs or teeth arranged as in a comb and mounted on a frame depending from a bracket member which is shaped or otherwise formed for engaging an overhead rail, track bar, smokestick or the like. Generally, the hangers have been constructed so that the hanger teeth or prongs can be readily inserted into the relatively soft area along the top ends of the bellies by holding the bellies and pressing the teeth into the same, with some portion of the frame serving as a handle for gripping it while guiding the teeth into the meat. During processing the meat loses moisture, shrinks and tends to solidify and become firm, with resulting tightening around the teeth or prongs which makes it difficult to withdraw the prongs so as to separate the processed slabs from the hangers.
Generally, the hangers have been grasped at one end and pulled, while the bacon slab is held, so as to progressively work the prongs loose from the bacon causing repetitive stress on the hands, wrists and arms of the person removing the hanger resulting in possible physical injury. Such removal also frequently results in damage to the hanger because the prongs can be bent and sometimes broken loose from the hanger thus leaving a prong in the slab which can create a hazard during slicing where contact with high speed knives can result in serious damage to the knives and possible injury to personnel in the vicinity of the slicing machine. Such hangers of the prior art are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,305.
A proposed improvement to address the problems of the above-described bacon hangers is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,522. The bacon hanger of the xe2x80x2522 patent includes a bottom bar with an offset extending laterally from the base frame in a direction opposite the prong assembly but mounted on the meatside of the bacon hanger. The offset is designed to receive the latch of a mechanical device so that the bacon hanger can be easily removed from the pork belly. Although the bacon hanger of the xe2x80x2522 patent provides substantial benefits over the prior art, it is not easily stackable or nested with other bacon hangers of a similar or different design. This creates a storage and accessibility problem.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved hanger structure for use in handling cuts of meat, particularly pork bellies, following butchering operations and during subsequent handling and processing operations.
It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a new and improved hanger structure which is especially adapted for suspending pork bellies and removal of the hanger from the bellies so as to facilitate handling, storage, retrieval and processing to convert the bellies into slabs of bacon.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved hanger structure of the type having a plurality of spaced prongs in comb-like arrangement for insertion in pork bellies and removal from pork bellies or similar cuts so as to support the same during handling and/or processing wherein the hanger is provided with a gripping area arranged relative to the prongs so as to enable engagement by a mechanical device that is adapted for withdrawing the prongs from the meat when it is processed and the resistance to withdrawal of the prongs has greatly increased.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger structure for handling meat cuts which is characterized by a series of meat engaging prongs mounted on a supporting frame and constructed so as to minimize any tendency of the prongs to break loose from the supporting frame when the frame is mechanically manipulated to withdraw the prongs from engagement in the meat.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved bacon hanger structure having meat penetrating prongs arranged to extend in a plane at an angle to the plane of an elongate support frame, with the frame being adapted to be disposed vertically and the prongs constituting end portions of leg formations on rod members which are bent into xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shape and which are part of the vertically disposed support frame or which are secured to the support frame by the portions of the leg formations which adjoin the bight forming portion of the xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shape.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a bacon hanger with all of the above-features that is also easily stackable or nested with other bacon hangers, on a carrying device or stand and easily retrieved for usage from said carrying device.
The invention as disclosed and claimed herein comprises an elongate support frame adapted to be disposed in a generally vertical plane and in depending relation from a support bracket, a plurality of spaced article engaging prongs extending generally normal to the plane of the frame, a gripping member secured to the support frame, having all weld positions under compression while under stress caused by the weight of the belly and/or stress caused by the engagement of a mechanical device used to extract the hanger prongs from the processed pork belly and a spaced cross bar welded to the prongs between the gripping member and the ends of the prongs. The gripping member is characterized by a cross bar that is welded on the prong side of the hanger frame and prongs. This arrangement controls the extent to which the prongs are inserted into the belly. In this way even when the belly fully engages the prongs there remains an opening between the spaced cross bar and the gripping member. This space may be engaged by a mechanical device when the article must be removed from the hanger of the present invention.
The aforesaid and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the preferred form of the hanger structure which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are identified by the same numerals throughout the views.